


places we won't be found

by simplecaelum



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Actor Lance (Voltron), Actor Shiro (Voltron), Actors, Alternate Universe - Actors, Alternate Universe - Celebrity, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Celebrity Crush, Childhood Friends, Cliffhangers, Confessions, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Falling In Love, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gay Disaster Shiro (Voltron), Gay Keith (Voltron), Gay Shiro (Voltron), Love Confessions, Love Triangles, M/M, Multi, Musician Keith (Voltron), Mutual Pining, Pining, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Pining Shiro (Voltron), Polyamory, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, Tabloids
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-08-13 20:48:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16479509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simplecaelum/pseuds/simplecaelum
Summary: Despite trying to get noticed as a musician, Keith is painfully ignorant of the world of celebrities, tabloids, and scandals.After Lance Serrano enters his life, quickly followed by Keith's childhood friend, Takashi Shirogane, Keith finds himself at the center of the tabloids focus.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For @atlasistryingherbest on Tumblr who is so understanding and draws me cute fan art because she's a good friend. So here you go <3
> 
> This fanfiction's endgame is Shklance. If you don't like, don't read(:

Everything was falling apart.

At least, that’s what Keith’s boss would have you believe.

In all honesty, running out of tequila wasn’t that much of a tragedy to Keith, and he didn’t think the hotshots at the fancy party he was bar-tending would think much of it. But here he was, grabbing his keys to go find the nearest liquor store.

Rolo thanked him on the way out, and Keith knew he was probably high off his ass and the reason the bottles had been forgotten at the loading site in the first place. It was a wonder how he hadn’t been fired yet. Keith supposed it was due to him sleeping with their boss, but it wasn’t something he wanted to mess with.

He liked his job for the most part. Free drinks, sometimes free food, and he only had to deal with stuck up rich people sometimes. His coworkers could be annoying at times, but they were worth it for the money he made (mainly from tips). Besides, it was only until he could get his music off the ground.

As Keith made his way out to his motorcycle, he heard some shouting from around the corner of the building. He closed his eyes and sighed, hoping it wasn’t near his bike. If it wasn’t, he could ignore it and be on his way. But as fate would have it, the escalating argument was right in front of where he needed to go.

His grip on his keys tightened and he counted to ten as he approached the pair. One appeared to be a small tan boy with short dark brown hair, while the other he recognized almost immediately.

“James! What the hell are you doing?” Keith barked, drawing their attention and causing James to drop his fist. Keith hadn’t realized James was about to start throwing punches, and for a moment he wondered what this guy had done to get his coworker so riled up.

“He was flirting with Rizavi,” James gritted out, still glaring at the other man, who had his eyes fixed on Keith.

Keith looked the new guy up and down, studying him for a moment. “He’s obviously drunk, not to mention a _patron_. Congrats newbie, you get to go pick up tequila and in return I won’t mention this again.” He stared at James blankly, hoping the order would work. Keith didn’t technically have much seniority over him, but the threat seemed to work. He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding when his coworker turned on his heel and made his way to wherever his car was parked.

“I’m fine, not drunk, totally sober, and you’re cute,” the patron exclaimed, entirely sure of himself.

Keith motioned back to the building behind him. “Why don’t we get you back inside,” he insisted. Arguing with a drunk stranger did not seem too appealing to him, well, ever, but especially when the stranger was a flirty drunk.

“Why don’t we make out?” The stranger suggested and Keith resisted smacking himself in the face.

“And you claim to _not_ be drunk? Right…” Keith mumbled under his breath. He started to head back inside before feeling a small tug on his arm.

“’m Lance,” the stranger - _Lance_ slurred, holding onto his arm and moving forward with him. “I don’t know your name, but I’ll just call you tall handsome guy,” he continued with a giggle. Keith tried not to tense up at the contact, but he couldn’t deny Lance was attractive - and hanging off his arm with a stupidly adorable _giggle_.

“Please don’t,” he muttered. “Just call me Keith.”

The walk back inside the building was slow going, as Lance kept tripping over his own feet, but eventually they made it inside the back doors that lead to the kitchen, the cool outside air left behind for the heat of the busy kitchen.

Keith glanced over at Lance, who seemed to be staring at the bathroom door across the room. He looked between Lance and the door and it clicked. “Are you going to throw up? Please don’t throw up,” he begged, pulling Lance toward the door while avoiding the servers that were making their way back to the main area.

Keith pushed the door open and pulled Lance inside with him, doing his best to not let the door hit Lance as it closed automatically. He didn’t think Lance could be too drunk since he seemed to support himself well enough. His thoughts were confirmed when Lance pushed against his shoulder, burying his face in Keith’s neck and biting gently and sucking lightly on his jawline.

“Woah, hey now,” Keith warned, pushing Lance away. “None of that, not when you’re drunk at least,” Keith added with a soft blush.

Lance pouted and leaned forward as if he was going to kiss Keith, who promptly dodged it and spun them around so that Lance was against the wall. Lance slid down to sit on his butt as Keith examined himself in the mirror. A red spot had formed where Lance had attempted to give him a hickey, and Keith was glad that was all that had been left behind. He knew from experience that he bruised easily.

Lance groaned and moved forward to the toilet, deciding now was the best time to throw up.

A grimace crossed Keith’s lips and he considered going to ask someone else to take care of him, but decided against it. Lance threw up again and the smell almost made Keith puke himself.

Hollaback Girl by Gwen Stefani started playing loudly in the small bathroom and Lance sat up, digging his phone out of his pocket. “Hello?” he asked, suddenly sobering up, or at least sounding like he did. “I’m with Keith,” he said, looking over at said man. A moment passed and Lance frowned. “What do you mean ‘who’s Keith’- alright fine,” he said, rolling his eyes. The phone was shoved in Keith’s direction and hesitantly he took it.

Keith brought the phone up to his ear and offered a confused hello before Lance started dry heaving.

“Keith, I’m guessing?” the person asked - probably a younger female, Keith guessed. He nodded before remembering she couldn’t see him.

“Yeah, uh, is there anyway you can come get Lance? He’s trying to puke his guts out.” Keith wrinkled his nose, memory flashing of his 21st birthday. He had sworn never to drink after that - or at least not get that plastered.

“I’m in the lobby, where are you?” She replied, sounding annoyed and also relieved, which confused Keith, but he decided not to question it.

“Staff bathroom in the kitchen. I can bring him there if you want,” he offered.

Lance leaned back against the wall again, groaning loud enough for the girl on the other end of the line to hear.

“No, it’s probably best I sneak him out back. I’ll be there shortly.” And just like that the line went dead.

Keith lifted his foot and kicked the seat of the toilet down before moving to flush it, thankful to be rid of the foul smell. He turned to Lance, before getting on his level. “Your friend will be here soon. How are you feeling, Lance?” He wasn’t sure why he felt the need to check on him, or do any of what he had done all night. He had never cared about some drunk rando before.

A smack on his arm took him by surprise, as Lance decidedly ignored his question and held out his hand face up. “Phone,” he demanded.

Keith shoved his phone back at him, trying not to be pissed off. Lance took one look at his phone and dropped it into his lap. “Your phone,” he clarified.

“What do you need my phone for?” Keith questioned. Curiosity won out, and later he would look back, confused about why he had handed his phone over, but glad he did. Lance immediately started scrolling and typing away at the screen, but kept the screen hidden from Keith’s view.

The door squeaked open and Lance threw the phone back at Keith, putting a finger over his lips as a way of telling Keith to be quiet. A small woman poked her head in, looking over the scene and then frowning at Lance.

“Come on, I’ve got a car waiting out back for you,” she sighed, holding her hand out for him.

As if he expected it, he took her hand immediately, and Keith got the feeling this might happen a lot. Lance got pulled out of the bathroom and Keith silently followed behind him, having no reason to stay in the bathroom any longer with the still vague vomit smell that lingered. He didn’t want to think it might have sunk into his clothes.

The woman helped Lance easily to the back door, where Keith could see a black van pulled up very close to the doors.

“Uh, you’re not actually kidnapping him or something, right?” Keith asked, as a few of his coworkers looked over in curiosity. Lance climbed in willingly, though not easily, and he turned around to give Keith a wink.

She snorted and shook her head. “The opposite, actually. I trust you’ll keep this between us. Loose lips sink ships and all,” she replied, shoving a 100 dollar bill at him before climbing in the van as well, pulling the doors shut behind her.

Keith stood there, awestruck at what had just transpired, as the black van drove away.

 

…

 

_Thump! Thump! Thump!_

Keith groggily woke up, blindly reaching for his phone to check the time. Mornings were okay for getting up, but Keith liked his sleep, and thus, lunch was an even better time to get up.

Catering gigs usually lasted until one or two in the morning, then the clean up and the ride home. By the time Keith got home he was exhausted, and most nights passed out until his body decided he was well rested.

The darkness of the pillow was difficult to leave, but with someone banging on his door, he supposed he should get up and answer it. He turned his head to the side and clicked the power button on his phone, which lit up with the time:

 

10:24 AM

3 Missed Calls from Acxa

4 Texts from Acxa

 

Keith groaned, realizing he had forgotten he promised to go to breakfast with his sister - well adopted sister, but technicalities.

Keith’s dad had died when he was eight, and with his mom on deployment, he had nowhere to go. The social worker had done her best to get in contact with the Krolia while Keith had been shipped off three states over to live with his uncles, Thace and Antok, and their adopted toddler, Acxa. By the time Krolia was informed, Keith had grown accustomed to the new environment, and it was decided he would stay with his relatives until Krolia was able to make it home.

The banging at the door continued and Keith yelled at her to knock it off. He got out of bed quickly when she ignored him, and unlocked it, knowing she would hear and let herself in.

Acxa walked in, grinning triumphantly. “Thoroughly annoyed? Good.”

“My neighbors are going to complain again,” he warned, moving back into his bedroom, which wasn’t that far when living in a studio apartment.

“I don’t live here,” she said with a shrug. “But I am here, so you really should put some clothes on.”

Keith sent a glare over his shoulder at her teasing. He had boxers on, and everything else she had seen before. Keith didn’t really understand the difference between boxers and swim trunks, but he slid jeans on, regardless, and rummaged through his closet for a t-shirt.

He heard his sister sit on his bed and start scrolling through her phone. “You’re getting lunch with me, since you missed breakfast,” she stated simply, not even looking up from her phone.

“Figured,” Keith mumbled, finally finding an acceptable shirt. Plain black v-neck, but he was a simple guy.

An hour later and they were pulling into the mall parking lot in Acxa’s blue Ford Focus that was still running, even after eight years between her and her two fathers. Keith had insisted they take his motorcycle, but she wouldn’t allow it, saying she wanted to do some shopping afterwards. Since his motorcycle didn’t exactly have a trunk, he caved.

They approached the front entrance of the mall, both slightly surprised at the amount of people there were. Keith was already hesitant about shopping with Acxa, knowing a Saturday morning was not the best time to be at the mall, but he had a hard time saying no to his little sister. Crowds of people shuffled around them, and had it not been for the timely parting of a group of teenage girls as he scanned his surroundings, Keith would have never seen the poster.

The stupid poster that stopped him in his tracks.

A few seconds later, Acxa turned around, realizing Keith was no longer beside her. She turned slowly, knowing he couldn’t have gotten far. He may have hated shopping - and people - but he’d never just dick out on her like that. She spotted him not long after, staring at what looked to be a poster of another shitty Romeo and Juliet remake.

“Keith!” she called, trying to get his attention. When he barely lifted his head in her direction, she sighed and walked over to him. Her arms crossed as she waited patiently for an explanation.

“That’s him,” he said quietly, pointing at the male actor. Acxa recognized him immediately.

“What about him? You’ve never been interested in pop culture before,” she commented. “And why specifically Lance Serrano?”

A look crossed his face that could possibly be annoyance, or confusion - maybe both? Probably both.

“He’s a fucking actor,” Keith breathed in disbelief. A moment passed before Keith dug his phone from out of his pocket. “I’m going to kill him.” He clicked his phone on and unlocked it with his thumbprint, navigating quickly to his contacts. Sure enough, among the ten or so contacts he actually had saved in his phone there was the new entry:

_Lancey ;)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cae, why did you start this? You have two tests in just as many days!  
> Yes, yes, but I see your question and I'll ask an even better one. Why did I start this when I have other fics that need to be finished?
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoyed!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update on Saturday that was supposed to come out yesterday? It's more likely than you'd think!
> 
> Enjoy~

“Wait,” Acxa said, reading over his shoulder, “is that… Keith!” Her voice had dropped down to a hushed yell as she looked at him in disbelief. “Do you seriously have Lance Serrano’s number in your phone right now? Tell me you did not hook up with him.”

Keith rolled his eyes before glancing around them to see if anyone was listening. Acxa, though she tried, wasn’t always the most discreet. Thankfully, everyone seemed preoccupied with their own business for once.

“No, I did not hook up with him! Why is that your first assumption?” Keith swore his sister thought he was hooking up with guys every night, when it rarely ever happened. “He was a guest at the reception we catered last night and I helped him out when he got too drunk. I don’t even remember seeing him at the bar all night.”

Acxa stared at him, trying to decide if he was telling the truth. When she seemed convinced that he was, she leaned over and tapped Lance’s name on Keith’s screen, pulling up a menu of options. “You have to call him.”

Keith looked from his phone to his sister. He clicked the power button and he shoved it into his back pocket. “No. Absolutely not.” He moved back towards the entrance, determined to ignore the situation. Was there even a situation to ignore? Keith didn’t think so.

So what a celebrity had hit on him - and maybe tried to kiss him last night? Lance, like all other celebrities, was a person, just like Keith. Granted, some celebrities tended to be stuck up assholes, but Lance didn’t seem like that kind of person. Then again, he had almost gotten in a fight, thrown up in the bathroom, and tried to kiss Keith. Maybe he was a stuck up asshole?

Keith felt his phone slip from his pocket and instantly spun around to get it back. Acxa stood a few feet away, quickly tapping the screen while holding the phone securely out of Keith’s reach.

A frown plastered itself on his lips as she handed the phone back, the call already started. “You’re a menace, you know that?” All he got was a shrug in response. “I could just hang up, you know.”

“But you won’t,” she smirked.

“ _Hello?_ ”

Keith looked at the phone, considering tossing it into the bushes and just buying a new phone later. The cost of a new phone and Acxa pushing the phone to his ear decided that wasn’t going to happen.

“ _Hellooo?_ ”

Acxa motioned for him to say something and he flipped her off before taking the phone.

“Hey, uh, Lance,” he said, eyes glancing over the poster. Lance was a normal person, and this wasn’t awkward. Not in the slightest.

There was a pause before Lance replied, “ _Who is this?_ ”

If Keith hadn’t had been nervous, he would’ve scoffed. Figures Lance wouldn’t remember him.

“It’s Keith.” A silent beat. “The bartender from last night?” Still nothing. “You gave me your number after you threw up?”

“ _Oh yeah! Sorry I was pretty gone last night,_ ” he chuckled nervously. “ _Listen, I probably shouldn’t have given you this number. You haven’t given it to anyone else, have you?”_

Keith shook his head before remembering he was on the phone, and the Lance he was talking to was not the Lance on the poster he had his eyes trained on. “No, actually. I, uh, didn’t even know you were famous until five minutes ago when I saw a poster at the mall,” Keith admitted sheepishly. He had never felt the need to keep up with famous people, but telling Lance the truth made him feel a bit bad. It probably took a lot of hard work to get to be such a famous actor - Keith knew the difficulty from trying to get a record label, or even trying to get bars to let him play for one night - and here was Keith saying he had never even heard of him. Wow, he just made a complete ass out of himself. “I can delete your number if you want.”

“ _Have you been living under a rock? Not to be cocky, but how do you not know who I am?_ ” Lance asked playfully. A moment passed as he thought. “ _No, you can keep my number, you sound cute. Just keep it between us, okay? My number has already gotten out before, and I had to go through the hassle of getting a new one - not fun,_ ” he laughed, and Keith thought it sounded nice.

“Maybe you shouldn’t give your number out to strangers then,” Keith quipped. “But I won’t post it anywhere, I know that’s gotta be annoying as hell.”

“ _Oh, cute and feisty. What did you say your name was again?_ ”

“Keith.”

“ _Okay, Keith,_ ” Lance mimicked, “ _I might text you at some point. Drunk me did give you my number for a reason._ ” Keith could almost hear the wink on the other end of the line, and he held back from cringing. Dumb pick up lines weren’t exactly ‘smooth’ to him. “ _Talk to you later?_ ”

“Yeah. Later,” Keith replied before hanging up the phone. He was slightly surprised that the whole conversation lasted just under three minutes.

“So?” Acxa asked from beside him, looking between him and the phone expectantly. Keith had almost forgotten she was even there.

He shrugged dismissively, turning to walk inside the mall, knowing Acxa would follow him. “He said I could keep his number as long as I didn’t post it online,” he admitted, causing Acxa to smirk behind his back.

“So you’re going to talk to him again?” She questioned, prodding him in the back with her index finger.

“I assume I will at some point,” he shrugged again. She poked him a few more times and he swatted her hand away, quickly sidestepping to walk beside her. Keith shoved his hands and his phone into his front pockets, absolutely _not_ holding on to his phone in case Lance texted. “Now where are we eating?” he asked as they made their way to the food court. He glanced over at her, his eyes held a warning. “Don’t you dare say Panda Express, Acxa. I refuse to have Chinese food for the third week in a row, and especially not from a food court.”

 

…

  


If Keith was being completely honest with himself - which he wasn’t - he would have admitted that he wanted to talk to Lance again. He would have also admitted that he was nervous to text Lance first. Who just casually texts a celebrity? Let alone one who drunkenly gave you their phone number. Keith reminded himself that Lance was just another person, who just so happened to be known by a _lot_ of people.

When Monday rolled around without a peep from the other male, Keith made a decision. Much to Acxa’s dismay, Lance Serrano’s number was to be  permanently deleted from his phone.

Maybe he wanted to be talked out of it. There wasn’t any logical reason he had to make it an event, so he wasn’t sure why he had ended up at Acxa’s place. Really, it was Thace and Antok’s house, but as they had been out of the country for half a year, Acxa had moved back in until they got back. Keith’s lease wasn’t up for another three months, and he hadn’t exactly wanted to move back in with his sister when it was offered.

“He called you cute,” Acxa challenged after Keith had tried to justify his reasoning that Lance was too busy and probably already forgotten about him.

“We had a three minute conversation over the phone. He didn’t remember he even gave me his phone number, so I shouldn’t have it in the first place. Lance is probably busy hanging out with his friends and working. I’m neither of those things, haven’t ever been and won’t be.”

“Probably won’t be. The chance is still there.” Keith gave her a pointed look before moving to press delete. “Okay, but listen,” she started, holding her hands out in a calming gesture. “There’s not a point to delete his number. Even if your phone gets lost, his last name isn’t apart of the contact, right?” Keith nodded, regretting showing Acxa what Lance had entered his name as. He honestly didn’t think she’d be so insistent on keeping his number if she hadn’t seen it in the first place. “But if there’s still a chance, then you should keep it,” she concluded, crossing her arms.

He paused for a moment, looking back at his phone screen.

 

_Lancey ;)_

_xxx-xxx-xxxx_

 

_Are you sure you want to delete this contact?_

_[ Yes ]_

_[ No ]_

 

He groaned at the question. No, he wasn’t sure.

Keith clicked the ‘no’ and dropped the phone onto his lap, refusing to look up at Acxa’s smirk.

A knock at the door signaled the pizza they had ordered when Keith had arrived unannounced. Acxa got up, knowing Keith wouldn’t since he didn’t live there - the reasoning was bullshit and they both knew it - and paid for the pizza. Keith had given her $10 after she placed the order, not about to leave her high and dry.

Keith picked back up his phone and opened up the Memo app on his phone out of habit. Looking over what he had written at 3 AM last night, he realized he hated most of it. After skipping a few lines - he never delete what he had written, no matter how bad - he started typing again.

 

_Studio apartment_

_Job serving the stuck up_

_Hey i guess this is life_

_Sucks to be a grown up_

 

Keith read the lyrics over scoffing at himself. He didn’t think he had ever written something so cliche and teen-angsty, and he made a mental note that not a lot of things rhyme with ‘up’ that didn’t end with ‘up’ as well.

With the memo saved, he reached for the pizza that was now on the coffee table. Acxa took a seat next to him, shoving a paper plate under his hand.

“Dads would kill you if they knew you endangered their clean carpet,” she reminded him.

Eyes rolled and he refused to respond, but taking the plate anyways. Antok would kill him for staining the carpet, Thace would kill him for upsetting Antok, and then they’d both kill Acxa for letting him.

The house itself was plain, but it was tidy and felt… homey. Pictures of Acxa from when she was a baby to her high school graduation were scattered around, and Keith even knew some of the frames held photographs of him. There was a photo of him and his parents at Disney World when he was three, attached to the refrigerator. It had been there since it had been taken all those years ago, before… Keith shook himself out of he memory. It never did any good to think about his father. The only person he was able to talk about it with was his mom, and any talk with her was far and few between.

“What time is it?” he asked, setting down the half devoured piece on the plate.

“Quarter to four, why?”

Keith finished his slice of pizza before answering her, loving how annoyed she seemed to get. “I have to be at work by five to help set up. There’s a company event for some law firm tonight.”

The catering jobs were sporadic, but the owners paid well and seemed to like Keith, thus giving him first pick of the jobs. It probably also helped he had been working for them the longest. Turnover was pretty high for bartenders, most preferring the stability of a restaurant as well as the chance to move up, but Keith had denied the promotion they had tried to give him, stating this wasn’t the career he wanted, and moving up seemed too much of a commitment. While the owners hadn’t exactly understood, they respected his decision.

Before Keith headed out, Acxa invited him back over for a movie night, but he declined, knowing he wouldn’t get off work until late.

And late it was.

Half past one in the morning, Keith unlocked his apartment door, exhausted and in desperate need of sleep, though he knew he wouldn’t be sleeping until four, maybe five. Part of him hated his screwed up sleep cycle, but it allowed him the peace and quiet he needed to write new songs.

He dropped his keys on the end table by the front door, and navigated the few feet toward the kitchen, hoping he had something energetic in his refrigerator. Sadly, it was devoid of any Monsters, Double Shot Espressos, and Red Bull. All that was in there was an old package of sliced cheese and what he assumed to be a to-go box from some restaurant. He made a mental note to clean it out tomorrow and at least go to the store to restock on drinks as he closed the door again.

In the back of his mind he knew the freezer had some microwave meals and a few opened bottles of liquor, but he wasn’t _that_ desperate. At least not yet.

The apartment he was standing in was just under 400 square feet and one of the cheapest apartments in the area he could find. It was nice enough for Keith, who had moved out as soon as he’d turned 18. He’d hated being a burden to Thace and Antok, regardless of how much they’d told him repeatedly that he was welcome, and treated him exactly as they had Acxa, their own daughter. Neither of them had been required to get jobs, but Keith was applying soon after his 16th birthday, trying to save up enough money for a motorcycle so they wouldn’t have to drive him around.

It wasn’t that he was ungrateful to his found family - he was so grateful that he didn’t think he’d ever think he’d be able to express it, though deep down he was sure they knew. But after losing his father so suddenly… How did he know that wouldn’t happen again?

The street lights poured in through the window as Keith leaned against the counter, arms crossed and staring at the messy apartment in front of him. He hadn’t bothered turning on any of the lights when he came in, but the street lights did a well enough job lighting up the area with a yellowish hue. He’d have to pick up tomorrow, or later tonight if he wasn’t getting anywhere with writing.

Remembering what he wanted to get accomplished tonight, he moved back towards the living room and switched on one of the lamps before sitting on the worn out couch. It was the one he’d gotten when he first moved out, but it was faux leather and wasn’t falling apart - just well used. He thanked his past self for not choosing a cloth couch that would hold odor.

On the coffee table sat Keith’s current music notebook, open to a page that had scribbled lyrics, frustrated notes about said lyrics, and a few random doodles. A gentle sigh passed his lips as he pulled the notebook closer and settled in for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the layout of Keith's apartment:   
> https://i.pinimg.com/originals/67/6f/c8/676fc83c171b0a16b5ee53f048ae32c9.jpg  
> The only window is the one at the top, and the living room layout is wrong.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm getting chapters out about every two weeks, but this next update might be three weeks, as I have finals coming up and have to study, so please be aware of that.
> 
> You can talk to me on Instagram, and now Twitter! Both handles are @simplecaelum  
> Feel free to bug me about updates, talk to me, discuss ideas about my stories as well as the actual show!

The buzz of Keith’s phone on the table drew him from his thoughts. He set down his pen, wondering who could be calling him.

As he reached to turn his phone over, he had a brief spark of hope that it was his mom, but the actual caller was a person he expected even less.

“Um, hey… Lance?” Keith asked, slightly confused. They hadn’t talked at all since Keith had called him from the mall last Saturday. There was nothing but silence on the other end of the line and Keith gave it a few more seconds before repeating his name.

“ _ Keith _ ,” Lance breathed, panting slightly. “ _ I need you. _ ”

A moment passed and Keith looked oddly at the phone. He cleared his throat and looked around him, making sure no one was too close.

“Lance, um, are you okay?” Keith wondered. He set back in his seat, trying not to blush. There was no way Lance was doing what he was thinking. It was 1:00 PM on a Thursday, didn’t he have work?

“ _ No _ ,” he growled back lowly, apparently having caught his breath. “ _ I don’t have a lot of time _ .”

The door dinged, signalling someone entering the coffee shop, causing Keith to momentarily look up from where he was staring at his notebook. “What do you mean? What’s going on?” He tried not to sound too concerned. In reality, Keith had no idea what was going on, originally thinking Lance was… and now he could be in danger. Was mental whiplash a thing?

“ _ I’m in a supply closet at work, and Pidge is looking for me. Listen _ ,” Lance finally replied, his voice still a hushed tone. “ _ How fast can you get to the studio on South Highland? _ ”

A breath caught in his throat at the words. Visit Lance? At work? They had barely spoken since they met and now Lance wanted him to come to his work? His work that was a studio. Of course it was a studio, Lance was an  _ actor _ .

“May I ask why?” Keith replied, though he was already closing his notebook.

“ _ Pidge has me on this new vegan diet and I need a hamburger. Oh, right. Could you actually stop by In-N-Out and get me a burger on your way over? _ ” Keith heard him laugh at his own forgetfulness. “ _ Just say you’re making a delivery for Daniel Watkins, they should let you right in. _ ”

Despite the numerous questions Keith had piling up in his mind, he agreed. After telling Lance he’d be there in half an hour, he hung up and shoved his notebook and pen into his rundown backpack and was out the door.

The nearest In-N-Out just so happened to be across the street, because those things were everywhere. Keith personally never saw the appeal, personally preferring Whataburger, but he supposed everyone here simply didn’t know any better.

As he drove across the street and decided it was just easier to go inside as the drive thru line was ridiculous. The lobby of the store was surprisingly not as bad, probably because everyone was trying to get back to their day jobs.

Keith tried not to be envious of them, he really did, and most times it worked. His life was unconventional, yes, but it worked for him - for the most part. He was able to afford a place to live, food, and gas to get around. On top of the necessities, he was able to pursue his dream, which was the most important thing.

But still, sometimes he wondered if it was all worth it. Why not get a 9 to 5? Why not live exactly like everyone else?

Keith ordered the first meal on the menu - something called a Double-Double - and got Root Beer for the drink. People in California liked Root Beer, right? Keith paid for the food, sighing. Keith never paid much attention to things he found irrelevant (see: movie stars), he just kept his head down and worked on his songs.

The music played softly over the speaker as he stepped out of line, and Keith knew he would never be satisfied with a 9 to 5. Music was a constant. It was always there, no matter how bad of times he went through.

Fifteen minutes later and he was driving down South Highland, looking for the studio. It wasn’t exactly hard to spot, being a massive lot with multiple warehouse type buildings that were probably movie sets. It also was surrounded by an extremely tall gate.

Keith drove up to the entrance and waited on the guard to notice him.

“Who are you?” the guard asked, looking him up and down and then studying his motorcycle.

“Keith, I have a delivery for Daniel Watkins,” he replied. He started to shrug his backpack off to show the guard the bag, but he simply waved Keith in.

Strict security, Keith thought.

The bar raised and he continued through, wishing the guard had told him where to go. He considered asking, but figured that might blow his cover, as Lance  _ should _ have given him directions.

Keith continued on, seeing that the buildings had signs on them, presumably for whatever movie they housed. He pulled over before he got too far and got his phone out, doing a quick google search of Lance’s name.

Google popped up with the bio, and Keith scrolled through until a list of movies appeared. The most recent one: Romeo and Juliet. He huffed and backed out. The poster of Romeo and Juliet meant that the movie was already out, so Lance obviously wasn’t working on that.

Sorting through all the tabloid websites that showed up wasn’t easy, though one did catch his attention. Keith clicked on the link, furrowing his brow.

 

_ Lance Serrano, lead actor of the hit new Sci-Fi show  _ Wreckage _ , was seen out late last night with costar Allura King. Serrano and King have been speculated to have gotten together after the immediate chemistry between the two the first day on set. _

 

Keith shoved his phone back in his pocket, deciding to ignore the article. He had the information he needed. Looking around, Keith spotted the warehouse that displayed the name  _ Wreckage _ , reminding himself that it was a television show, and not in fact a movie. He parked his motorcycle where he was sure it would be out of the way and headed towards the door. Just before he reached it, someone from the set crew came out quickly, and Keith slipped inside, not knowing if the door was locked.

Inside, people were bustling around, moving props, equipment, or just themselves. Keith was a little in awe of it all, but he did his best to stay out of everyone’s way and stick to the wall. He rounded a corner and saw what appeared to be a set, and a few people in futuristic looking outfits.

A woman who appeared to be the director was giving them instructions, and as she moved one of the actors, Keith could see his face more clearly and couldn’t help but smile as the actor looked slightly dumbfounded. His hair was slicked back with entirely too much product, and he was in a skin tight suit that had varying bits of blue and white armor attached to it. All together, it looked downright cheesy and completely cliche, but maybe that’s what they were going for. It still didn’t explain the executive decision to make Lance’s head look like a fifties greaser.

It was different seeing Lance in this setting, completely sober and focusing on his job. The director told him something else, motioning to the woman standing next to him. The actress seemed slightly annoyed, but nodded nonetheless. 

She had platinum hair - no not platinum, silver - silver hair, that seemed to almost glow under the lights with every color of the rainbow. Her skin was darker than Lance’s and she had on a similar outfit to his as well, though she adorned pink rather than blue. Keith briefly remembered some action show from his childhood where the heroes were all dressed in a different colors.

“Okay!” The director called to the whole crew as she headed back to her chair. She sat down, looked around the studio to make sure everyone was ready before calling action.

Lance hurried to the control panel, quickly take a seat as the actress picked up a tattered book and flipped through the pages rapidly.

“We just have to locate the portal, or at the very least, a hint as to where it could be…” she said, trailing off as she stopped on a page and started to read it.

Lance was doing something at the control panel, and Keith wondered what was happening and what super fan would kill to be where he was, watching behind the scenes of their favorite T.V. show, or to be close to their favorite actor. It was a feeling Keith remembered from years ago, seeing photos of everyday people with his favorite singers.

Soon after, the scene ended and the director called for a five minute break, shaking her head and walking off. Keith saw Lance and the actress exchange a look before laughing together after the director had left. A small stab of something - Keith wouldn’t call it jealousy - poked the back of his head, and he chewed the inside of his lip as he waited for Lance to look around. Most of the crew had busied themselves with readjusting the equipment or whatever it was that the crew did, but Lance and the actress stayed on set, talking. After a minute, Lance glanced toward the door Keith had entered, and Keith noticed he was tapping his foot anxiously. As his vision circled back around the room, his eyes landed on Keith and a huge grin spread across his lips.

Lance turned back to the actress and motioned with his hand back at Keith and the two made their way over to where he was.

“Keith! My man,” Lance greeted, looking like an excited puppy. “Do you have the stuff?” he asked, voice dropping to a whisper.

Keith raised an eyebrow and took off his backpack. “It’s not drugs, Lance. I’d rather not get arrested because you wanted a hamburger.” The actor’s name felt weird as it rolled off his tongue, having not actually spoken it out loud that much.

As the backpack unzipped, the smell of fast food filled the air around them and Lance immediately grabbed for it. Keith rolled his eyes at the action.

“You act like you haven’t eaten in a week,” Keith commented as he watched Lance attempt to shove half the hamburger into his mouth at once. It didn’t work. After making sure his notebook hadn’t gotten grease on it, he closed it and slung it over one shoulder.

Lance tried to reply through a mouth of hamburger, but the actress poked his cheek and he stopped. She turned to Keith and held out her hand. “Lonce didn’t introduce us, but I’m Allura.”

Keith paused for a moment, his mind reeling. Her accent was clearly British, but on set she had been talking like she had lived in America her entire life. Keith colored himself impressed. “Keith,” he replied after a moment. He shook her hand and she smiled gently at him.

“I figured, Lonce mentioned you might drop by today. He’s also been saying that for the past three days now,” she admitted, causing Lance’s cheeks to go slightly red as he swallowed the bite he had been chewing.

“I may be a gorgeous actor, but I’m human,” he shrugged. “I tried to stay strong, but I’m not a rabbit, regardless of what Pidge thinks.” He grumbled and took another bite.

This time, Keith and Allura exchanged a look.

“Is Pidge the director?” Keith asked. His eyes glanced to the door she had disappeared through.

Allura chuckled softly and shook her head. “No, Pidge is Lance’s  _ handler _ . Lauren’s the director,” Allura explained. Keith didn’t ignore the emphasis on the word handler.

Crossing his arms, Keith nodded. “I would ask why he needs a handler, but after the night that we met, I don’t really think I need to ask that question. I hope Pidge is good at her job” he teased, looking over to Lance just as he finished his hamburger.

“Why?” Lance shot back, his voice teetering on the edge of being flirty. “You wanna handle me instead?” The wink he gave Keith was subtle and smooth to say the least, but that just made it all that more effective.

Keith tried his hardest not to blush. He really did.

Allura cleared her throat, causing Keith’s cheeks to get even redder. She elbowed Lance in the ribs, who was still smiling at Keith, only one side of his lips turned up - and Keith swore that shouldn’t look that good. Especially with that hair.

Two sharp trills rang overhead, drawing their attention.

“Alright, back to work,” Allura sighed. “And Lance you might want to get rid of that wrapper before Pidge wanders in and sees it.”

Lance drew a sharp breath at the thought, then looked around frantically for a trash can. He darted off once he found one, leaving Keith and Allura alone.

“I’d welcome you to stay,” Allura started, twirling her hair between her fingers which caused it to dance between colors in the light, “but you don’t have a proper visitors badge. I’d get you one, but I don’t really have the time currently. Hopefully by next time, I can get one secured.”

Keith nodded and thanked her. It was hard to not like her when she was so nice.

Why would I even dislike her? Keith thought to himself. She’s done nothing wrong.

Lance rejoined them, wrapper free, and dramatically wiped nonexistent sweat off of his brow. “That was a close one. Are you going to stay and watch the scenes?” Lance asked Keith, smiling widely at him.

“I actually have to get going,” he shrugged, not elaborating any further. Lance looked at him expectantly. He opened his mouth, probably to give some bullshit excuse or blame not having a visitors pass, but he never got the chance.

“Keith?”

The voice that spoke dragged him years into the past. It was a voice he didn’t think he’d ever hear again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm... I wonder who that could be?


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Years!! Let's end it with some Shiro love, because we all know season 8 did him oh so wrong.

Keith held his breath, barely able to register what he had heard. There was no way. There was no possibility that voice belonged to _him_. Absolutely none.

"Keith Kogane?"

But the voice said Keith's name in a way that was all too familiar.

His eyes went wide with shock, and his mouth was parted slightly as he turned around slowly to face the new comer. Time seemed to slow to a halt as his gaze fell onto a very tall and buff man standing in front of him a few feet away from the door to what Keith assumed to be the afterlife, because he had to be looking at an angel.

No. Now Keith was entirely sure there was no way this... this god, was the same Takashi Shirogane from his childhood. Yes, Shiro had played on the baseball team, but baseball didn't do _that_ to a person. Plus, the Shiro he knew had jet black hair, and this ~~Adonis~~ man had hair that matched Allura's silver. There wasn't much light as on the set, but Keith was sure that if there was it would shine with just as many colors as Allura's, maybe even more.

Keith closed his mouth and swallowed before opening his mouth again to reply. Nothing came out.

"Keith, it's me, Shiro," the man who _claimed_ to be Shiro said, though Keith still wasn't buying it. "You remember we went to school together?" He took a few steps forward, effectively snapping Keith out of his trance.

"Shiro?"

The smile that spread across Shiro's face was almost a slap in the face, and it reminded Keith of things he'd never forgotten.

A memory of a principal introducing Shiro to Keith flashed through his mind, along with Shiro giving him that exact same smile.  _It's nice to meet you, Keith! You can call me Shiro, I'll be your big brother this year!_

He blinked a few times before allowing a warm smile in return. It couldn't be Shiro, but it had to be. No one else could smile like that. Before Keith knew what was going on, Shiro had pulled him into a crushing hug, that was still oh so gentle.

Now Keith knew that there was no one else it could be. This was Shiro.

Keith hugged him back after a second, reveling in the feeling. He wasn't much for physical touch, but Shiro, along with his family, was the exception.

"Woah, woah, woah. Hold up a second. You two know each other?" he heard Lance ask, the shock in his voice almost matching what Keith felt internally. 

Shiro stepped back, and they turned to face Lance, though not exactly moving away from each other.

"We, uh, went to school together for a little while, when I first moved here in the fourth grade," Keith replied, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans in a wasted effort to look casual. "Shiro was my best friend."

"I thought we had something special, mullet. I didn't know you already had a thing with Starboy," Lance pouted, eyeing the two of them and crossing his arms. Allura elbowed him in the side, frowning.

Keith raised an eyebrow at both of the nicknames, and discretely looked to Shiro for an answer, only to find the other rolling his eyes halfheartedly, and if Keith hadn't of known better, he might have thought he was imagining the redness on Shiro's cheeks.

"Whatever transpired between them is their business, Lonce, not yours," she scolded before shooting them an apologetic look. It didn't help, and Keith felt his own cheeks start to heat up. "Keith said they were friends, so they were friends."

Shiro chuckled and adverted his eyes as if he was embarrassed, though if it was because of what Lance had implied or because of the nickname, Keith wasn't sure. Did Shiro like Lance? Did Lance like Shiro? Were they together? Ugh, now Keith sounded like a gossip column. He shouldn't care anyways. Shiro was his friend that he hadn't seen in so many years - nine? ten? - and Lance was a stranger he had met only a week ago. Technically, what either of them did, together or otherwise, was none of Keith's business, regardless of the slight pang of jealously he couldn't quite place.

Shiro seemed to recover and wrapped his arm around Keith's shoulders, completely oblivious to the mental breakdown he was causing. "I was Keith's big brother in the mentor program at our school," Shiro stated, and Keith hoped he would leave it at that. He couldn't imagine Shiro openly talking about the rest, at least not with strangers. "I was in seventh grade and already thinking about what would look good on college applications," Shrio admitted with a laugh. "But like Keith said, he quickly became one of my closest friends, and encouraged me to apply where I wanted, regardless of, well... others."

But, Keith realized, Lance and Allura weren't strangers to Shiro.

"He was there for me when Adam wasn't," Shiro finished, his voice soft.

Ever the nice guy, Shiro always put things so simply. Keith didn't know if he could ever phrase the manipulation and long heated arguments as "not being there" for Shiro. While Shiro might have gotten over it, to Keith it was still a sore spot and he couldn't help but tense up at the name. The worried side glance he got from Shiro told him it hadn't gone unnoticed.

He did his best to shrug it off as no big deal, and the arm around his shoulders dropped, much to his dismay, as awkwardness settled in between them. Keith would never admit it, but it stung. Things used to be so easy between him and Shiro, but he knew all too well that time apart tended to break down relationships.

"I, uh, didn't know you were acting now," Keith muttered, changing the subject. In the back of his mind he hoped the air wasn't as tense as he thought it was.

"To be fair, you didn't even know who I was," Lance cut in, holding his hand over his chest dramatically. Usually Keith would've considered the dramatics annoying, but he was glad for the distraction. "I headlined _Romeo and Juliet_. I'm the lead of _Wreckage_. How do you not know who I am?"

"Again, I do apologize about him, Keith. He really is a nice guy, just has a bit of an ego..." Allura offered while she rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"No, it's okay," Keith insisted. "I don't keep up with pop culture, or anything like that. Just music. But I know it's kind of insulting when you've worked so hard to get to where you are and someone has absolutely no idea who you are. That's more on me, however." He rubbed the back of his head and shrugged before he allowed himself to risk a glance at Shiro.

He was looking at Lance, and Keith recognized a look of fondness, though in what way he wasn't quite sure. The jealousy spiked again, and Keith shoved it down. He had no right to feel jealous about either of them. Was it even jealousy? After he gave it a single moment of thought, Keith decided it was just anger at losing his best friend.

Two sharp trills rang out in the studio once more, interrupting whatever Shiro had opened his mouth to say and caused Lance to groan.

"That's our cue. Lauren will be back in a minute to reshoot the scene," Allura explained to Keith. "We'd love to meet up afterwards, but regretfully Lonce and I have a press meeting right after we finish up. Perhaps Shiro can assist you in a tour of the studio as you two get reacquainted," she suggested, a sly smile gracing her lips. It was soon gone, however, as she looped her arm through Lance's and pulled him away.

"Ow, Princess, you're hurting me," Lance whined playfully, but waved to Shiro and Keith before trailing after her.

Shiro cleared his throat. "Keith, do you, um..." Shiro darted his eyes between Keith and somewhere behind him. "Would you like to see my- the rest of the warehouse?"

"Uh," Keith pulled his attention away from Lance and Allura's retreating figures, forcing the questions he had back down - both about them and why Shiro seemed extremely nervous now. It was none of his business - well, Shiro being nervous was, especially if they were about to be alone together. "That'd be cool," he replied, though the thought  slightly terrified him.

"Great, let's go." A blinding smile spread across Shiro's lips, as if he had been nervous Keith was going to decline. Even if time had pulled them apart, Shiro was still Shiro, and Keith was still Keith.

"Okay," he agreed, smiling back.

Just like that it was almost like being back in freshman year of high school, exactly where they had left off, except now Shiro was a head taller than Keith instead of one and a half heads.

Shiro took Keith's hand in his own and pulled him back towards the door he came out of. It was such a simple thing, holding hands - if it could even be called that, which deep down (though he would never admit it) Keith hoped it could be called that - but it showed both how much Shiro had and hadn't changed. The familiar action of being pulled along brought a smile to Keith's face, and the new large size of Shiro's hand brought heat to his cheeks. Keith forced the redness away and tried to focus on something else, anything else.

The door Shiro had come through lead to a wide hallway with two doors on either side and what appeared to be a garage door at the end.

"This leads to all of the dressing rooms," he explained, motioning to the door on the right. "This one goes to special effects, and the one at the end of the hall goes to the storage room. Not that exciting as the other two, but it has pretty much every prop we have ever used."

Keith thought each option over. He knew the privacy of the dressing rooms might be a bit much, but would also give them a chance to catch up in private. The prop room would allow Shiro to fill Keith in about his life, while keeping the focus on the show and off of Keith. He knew he was making progress on his music, but he was nowhere near as successful as Shiro. Special effects, while he was sure that was highly interesting to the general public, did not appeal to Keith what-so-ever.

"Show me the prop room? If you're allowed, that is," Keith replied with a shrug. He tried to ignore the fact that Shiro was still holding his hand as he was pulled toward the garage door and it slid open as they approached it. "Automatic door, safe," he commented, mostly to himself, but Shiro laughed in response.

"Usually only workers are allowed back here, so there's not a big need for security inside. Speaking of, how did you get on set? Did Lance check you in?"

They entered the room and Keith was almost shocked by the sheer amount of stuff that was packed onto shelves and hanging off of racks. "Wow..." he breathed, stopping in his tracks, thankfully out of range of the closing garage door. He vaguely felt his hand drop from Shiro's as the other stepped back and let him take in his surroundings. There were bright lights shining down from the ceiling, which were lower than Keith had expected from a warehouse. Somewhere in the back of his mind he concluded it had to have been split into two stories in order to allow for more space.

Suddenly, he remembered that Shiro had asked him a question. "Not exactly. I brought him In-N-Out, and I gave the guard the name Lance told me to use and he just let me in." The confession came smoothly, though after a second it occurred to Keith he might just get the security guard fired. He quickly turned to Shiro to gauge his reaction, but instead found himself staring silently at the actor.

Shiro's white hair shifted colors with the slight movement of his head as he nodded, and Keith remembered the way Allura's hair had done the exact same thing, though Shiro's was by far more hypnotizing.

He must have noticed Keith's blatant staring, because he shook his head and made the colors dance in the light. "A bit much, I know, but the producers think it makes us look more _extra_ terrestrial. Probably different than what you remember, huh?"

Keith nodded, choosing to keep his mouth shut, or risk embarrassing himself. It was definitely a change from the jet black hair he remembered, but it was a surprisingly welcomed change. Thankfully, Shiro didn't comment on his silence.

"Come on, I'll show you around."

The way they walked together was reminiscent of those five years they'd had together, and Keith was happy to have Shiro's comforting presence next to him again. As Shiro told him why certain costumes were placed together, Keith was pulled out of his memories by a hand on the small of his back which guided him around the isles of seemingly endless props.

"So... how did you get into acting?" Keith asked as they moved to the next section of stuff. He pulled away from Shiro as he turned to face him, and made sure there was a respectable amount of space between them, lest his mind linger on how the size of Shiro's hand made his back feel small.

Shiro's face went light red and he cleared his throat. "Ha, yeah... It's pretty boring," he warned, and Keith's interest peaked.

"Oh?" Keith asked, raising a single eyebrow. "I'm listening."

After a moment of silence and a soft sigh, Shiro began his tale of being broke in college, so his friend Matt suggested he be an extra in movies with him to earn a little bit of cash. However, Shiro wasn't exactly the type to _blend_ into the background, and after a few movies, he began to get noticed and offered larger roles, much to Matt's complete amusement.

"It was hard balancing college and being on set, but it really picked up right as I graduated, so it really was perfect timing. I don't really use my degree all that much, but the writers and set designers consult me on the physics and practicalities the show employs. That counts for something, right?" He shrugged, looking off as he was lost in thought. "Not exactly piloting, but it's close enough."

Keith saw the sadness behind his eyes, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. No matter how long they had been apart, Keith could never forget how easy he could read Shiro like an open book.

"Show me your dressing room?" Keith requested quietly. The smile quickly returned to Shiro's face and he pulled himself together once again, as if what just happened could even be considered falling apart.

"Of course, Keith."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who's still going to be here in 2019? Sound off~


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm in my last semester of college, and it's super busy, but I haven't forgotten about writing not to worry!
> 
> I want to thank Tei (@teiandcake on Twitter) for beta'ing this. She was super helpful and I am so so thankful for her.

“So, Allura decided she’d rather dye her hair than wear a wig again, and I decided to follow suit. It’s much easier in the mornings when we’re getting ready now, which I’m thankful for.”

Shiro was never one to dwell on anything remotely negative, which, Keith supposed, is how he easily slipped into an explanation of his hair color on their way to his dressing room. The momentary sadness in his eyes had faded away as he told Keith about life on set and the new friends he had made over the years.

They approached a door on the left that held a star with an engraving that read  _ Shiro _ , and Keith was shown inside. Though it was only supposed to be for one person, Keith knew it had to be the size of his apartment. It was decorated with mainly cool tones, the walls fashioned with an off white that was almost blue, and the floor a solid light grey material Keith couldn’t place. On the right were several clothing racks with various costumes hanging off of it, followed by a side table with the infamous incredibly itchy wig which was discarded haphazardly, probably already forgotten.  Straight ahead was a seating area with modern couches - most likely from Ikea - littered with bags, pillows, and what looked to be bound scripts. On the left was a large vanity mirror with scattered makeup tubes and palettes, glitter, and makeup wipes scattered across the counter just below it, and two director chairs in front of it.

“A bit much, I know, but usually there about six people in here, not including myself,” Shiro explained as Keith leaned against the wall and took everything in. “Hair and Makeup artists for, you know,” he said, gesturing to the mirror. “A runner or an intern that brings us food, props, or messages from Lauren, my script director who usually just sits there and quizzes me on my lines, and sometimes Lance too.”

The last one peaked Keith’s interest, and for a moment he said nothing. He wondered why Lance hung out in Shiro’s dressing room, though they seemed close so it’s not like they needed a reason, exactly, but it still bugged Keith for some reason.  

“So you and Lance are close?” he blurted out. After a moment, Keith blinked a few times and cleared his throat. Had he actually just asked that? “Sorry, that’s not any of my business.” He felt his face heating up and he internally scolded himself for asking such an intrusive question. Shiro used to help his impulse control, but now he seemed to have exactly the opposite effect.

“Uh,” Shiro started, looking at him quizzically. Keith realized how that could have been interpreted. Before Keith could apologize again, Shiro continued. “Yeah, you could say that. He likes to talk about whatever’s going on at the time, and I’m a good listener. Plus, he trusts me. Most of the time it’s about Allura or his family, nothing major.”

Keith nodded, but still felt like Shiro was leaving something unsaid. He opened his mouth to ask for more about Shiro and Lance, or even Lance and Allura, but the words never quite made it out.

“Better question is: How do  _ you _ know Lance?” Shiro teased, and if Keith hadn’t know Shiro better - which he liked to think he still did - he wouldn’t know how thinly veiled that redirection was.

Keith decided not to comment on it, embarrassed that he had questioned their relationship first. “I’m actually a bartender for a catering company. Lance got drunk and almost got in a fight with one of my coworkers before hitting on me when I tried to help him.” Keith shrugged, but smiled at the ridiculous meeting.

“You’re a bartender?” 

Shiro seemed surprised at his profession, and Keith couldn’t blame him. He had a reputation in high school for not being pleasant around others - save for Shiro - and bartending tended to be a social job, at least if you wanted to make decent tips.

“Yeah… It’s not preferable, but since I moved out of my uncles’ place I have to pay bills somehow, you know? It gets me by.” 

Shiro nodded slowly, and Keith realized he must be feeling a bit awkward. Here Shiro was, a television star, and Keith was scraping by. 

“S’not so bad. I usually get to take home whatever has already been opened, which Acxa certainly helps me enjoy.”

"Seems like a pretty good deal,” Shiro offered. “Speaking of family, how is..." Shiro looked up at him, a small smile on his face. "How is your mom?"

Keith took a deep breath. He had known Shiro was bound to ask about her eventually, though he had only talked to her a handful of times via video chat. She had instantly liked Shiro, of course, everyone did. She liked him even more when he called her a bad ass before leaving the room to give her some alone time with Keith the first time they talked.

"Still deployed," he answered, returning the smile. "I haven't talked to her in a month or so. She called me after one of the bases got raided and let me know she was safe. She'll probably miss my birthday, but she might get to come home for Christmas," he shrugged, looking off to the side. He was used to it, as much as it sucked. "She promised to call though, so at least I'll get to talk to her."

Shiro nodded in understanding. It was a conversation they had had many times before. "Still protecting you in the best way she knows how," he said, taking a step closer to Keith. “I’m sorry.”

Keith shrugged and took a deep breath. “It’s always been like this, I’m used to it. Mom would be happy to see you though. You were always her favorite out of my  _ countless _ friends. You were my favorite, too” Keith admitted, smiling softly to himself as he thought back on the memories. Shiro always made it hard not to smile.

A moment passed as they studied each other, the silence settling around them. It didn’t feel awkward, despite Keith's thought that it might - not that he thought about reconnecting with Shiro, of course not - rather, it was comforting.

Shiro took another step towards Keith, closing most of the remaining distance between them. Face to face, Keith could almost feel Shiro’s chest against his own, and Keith’s heartbeat picked up. He hoped to whatever higher power there was that Shiro couldn’t hear it. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Keith knew they were entirely too close for it to be friendly, but it became harder to think as the seconds ticked by.

“I’ve missed you, Keith.” 

The confession was quiet. If Shiro hadn’t been so close, Keith might have missed it.

“I missed you, too.”

Suddenly, Keith was unable to look Shiro in the eyes. He was too close now. The last time they had been that close…

He looked over towards the vanity area instead, needing to clear his head. The mirror reflected the rest of the room, but they stood just out of sight and Keith was thankful for that. “I’m sorry,” he added, saying the words he’d meant to say the last time he had seen Shiro, “for how everything went down in the end.”

It wasn’t enough, but it was all he could manage. He was sorry for letting Shiro walk away. He was sorry he never replied to Shiro’s texts. He was sorry he didn’t step in when Adam tried to tear Shiro down, brick by brick. He was sorry for… Well, he was sorry for a lot of things. Sorrier than Shiro could ever know.

He chanced looking back up at Shiro, only to be pulled into a hug. The comfort and security of Shiro’s hold washed over Keith, as if no time had passed at all and suddenly, Keith felt bittersweet. He remembered how they were back in high school, two teenagers hanging out, doing homework and playing video games...

“I know you’re busy,” Keith mumbled against Shiro’s chest, “but you should come hang out sometime so we can catch up. I have my own place now, so Acxa won’t even be there to annoy us.”

A moment passed before Shiro pulled away, taking his warmth with him. A soft smile graced his lips. “I would love that, Keith.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone, handing it to Keith. “Here, put your number in.”

Keith pulled out his own phone and handed it to Shiro. The contrast was glaringly obvious. Keith’s phone wasn’t  _ old _ persay, but it wasn’t the brand new model Shiro had. It was hard not to feel self conscious, but Keith did his best to push it down.

He quickly typed his number and name in before saving it and moving to hand it back.

A familiar ringtone filled the air, drawing Keith’s attention to where his own phone rested in Shiro’s hand.

“Acxa,” Shiro told him, handing the phone back as he took his own.

Keith debated answering for a moment but ended up accepting the call. “Acxa,” he deadpanned.

“ _ Keith _ ,” she replied in the same tone. “ _ I need you to come get me _ .”

He sighed and locked eyes with Shiro. “I’m a little busy at the moment.” Shiro rolled his eyes, making Keith smile.

“ _ Yeah, well I’m sitting in a convenience store parking lot. I ran out of gas and had to get my car towed _ ,” Acxa countered.

Keith shoved down a groan before saying he’d be there as soon as he could.

“ _ I owe you, big bro _ .”

Keith ended the call and shoved his phone back in his pocket. “Sorry, I gotta go. Acxa-”

“-needs her amazing big brother,” Shiro interrupted. “Don’t worry about it. See you soon?” he asked as he moved in for another hug. Keith felt Shiro’s arms around his waist, lower than they had been before, and he felt himself go red at how Shiro’s arms felt on his back.

“Of course,” he managed to get out, hugging Shiro back.  _ It doesn’t mean anything, it’s Shiro _ , he reminded himself.

“I’ll see you later, Keith. Call me, okay?”

Keith nodded before he retraced his footsteps to exit the studio. He couldn’t stop thinking about Shiro’s smile, his eyes, his arms... He knew he had missed Shiro, but he didn’t actually think he would ever see him again. Now, there he was again, front and center in Keith’s life and mind.

He checked his phone for the address Acxa was at, and he was on his way. Traffic was bad, and he knew he’d get chewed out for taking so long, but it couldn’t be helped. However, when he arrived, Acxa was sitting on the curb next to her car eating a can of Pringles. Surprisingly, she did not complain.

About the time, that is. Directly.

“You couldn’t have stopped to get me food? If you were going to take so long you might’ve gotten me some fries,” Acxa said, slightly annoyed. “What took you so long anyways?” She held out the can to him and he waved her away.

“I was dropping off food for a friend.” Deep down he should’ve known she’d ask who, but a small part of him hoped that maybe just once his sister wouldn’t be nosey.

Acxa scoffed and gave him a look of false offense. “Who did you bring food to over  _ me _ ?”

Keith sighed and handed her his extra helmet.

“Ohh someone important, huh?” She held the helmet in her hands, watching him closely. “Is it your…  _ boy-friend _ ?” She dragged out the last word in a sing-song voice.

“Lance is  _ not _ my boyfrie-  _ Shit _ .” 

The look on her face confirmed his fears. He had done it now.

“You brought food to  _ LANCE _ ?” she whisper-yelled. “How much have you been talking? Have you kissed yet? Didn’t you meet him, like, last week? Moving a bit fast, aren’t you?”

Keith glared at her and resolved not to answer any of her questions, even if it would only make her more suspicious. He threw his leg over his bike and started it up. “If you are not on this bike in ten seconds I am leaving without you.”

He heard her grumble before she shoved on the helmet and threw her leg over the bike.

“You’re a real jackass sometimes, you know that.”

They took off out of the parking lot. Keith stayed silent until they got to Thace and Antok’s house, and thankfully so did Acxa. Keith relished in the roar of the wind and the vibration of the bike on the road, letting the feelings calm him down. Both from the slight frustration towards Acxa, as well as the excitement of seeing Shiro again.

They pulled up to the house and Keith barely shut off the motor before Acxa got off and made her way to the front door. Any other time, he might actually be concerned that she was upset, but knew she was giving him the silent treatment until he decided he was ready to talk.

“We aren’t together, Acxa,” Keith said, giving in once she unlocked the front door and they stepped inside.

“Yet,” she amended.

Keith rolled his eyes, and knew for sure that he shouldn’t even mention Shiro. He was glad he hadn’t already. It was enough that Acxa had smirked at him every time Shiro was over when they were younger. If she found out they had met again... Keith would never hear the end of it.

A buzz in his back pocket made him freeze as he watched his sister walk into the kitchen. He waited a moment to make sure she was busy before he dared to look at who it was from. Clicking on the screen, Lance’s name popped up on his screen and he opened it to reply.

 

_ Lance: Hey, Allura let it slip to Pidge that you brought me food and has henceforth banned you from the studio :( _

_ Keith: that’s alright, you can just show up at another party i'm bartending and see me there _

_ Lance: You’re never going to let me live that down, are you? _

_ Keith: never. _

_ Lance: There’s actually another fancy party coming up, I was wondering if you’d be there? _

 

Keith’s stomach fluttered. His self confidence wasn’t low - he knew he was attractive - but it was still nice to know Lance wanted to see him-

_ Woah, backtrack, Keith. Getting a little ahead of yourself. You don’t even know if he’s… well anything _ , Keith scolded himself. Lance could very well be with Allura - the most likely option - which would take him off the market.  _ Even if he’s not with Allura, what are the chances he’s interested in guys? _ Keith isn’t sure, but he feels like  _ something _ happened between Lance and Shiro.

So caught up in his head, Keith didn’t even realize Acxa had snuck back into the room until she snatched his phone out of his hand. He snapped out of his thoughts too late. Acxa tossed his phone back to him, and he realized with dread what she had done.

The phone landed in his palm face down. For a moment, he considered not even turning it over, but he knew eventually he would have to find out what trouble his little sister had gotten him into this time.

 

_ Keith: Of course I’ll be there. Wouldn’t miss it for the world ;) _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on twitter @simplecaelum for updates, or just to talk!


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